Those Who Know Do Not Speak | The Hidden Teachings of Lao Tzu

Fall asleep to the ancient Chinese way of yielding, water, and the wisdom of doing without forcing.More than two thousand years ago, in a China torn apart by endless war, an old man rode west on an ox, handed a gatekeeper a small book of verses, and disappeared into the mountains. That book, and the tradition it founded, is the subject of this long, slow episode. We begin with its legendary author and the strange little classic he left behind, then move into the heart of his teaching, the nameless Way beneath all things, the art of accomplishing much by forcing nothing, and the quiet strength of water, emptiness, and the low places. We meet the second great teacher, a poor and brilliant man who taught through wild and funny stories, dreamed he was a butterfly, and met death without fear. From there we follow the tradition as it grows into a vast religion, flows into painting and poetry and the birth of Zen, and travels at last across the world to speak to our own restless and exhausted age.Please listen only in safe, restful contexts.Chapters:0:00:00 Chapter 1: The Old Man at the Pass0:12:12 Chapter 2: Five Thousand Words0:18:08 Chapter 3: The Way That Cannot Be Named0:29:26 Chapter 4: Doing Without Doing0:37:39 Chapter 5: The Use of Emptiness0:43:06 Chapter 6: The Spirit of the Valley0:50:26 Chapter 7: Ruling a Great State0:59:44 Chapter 8: The Butterfly and the Man1:11:33 Chapter 9: Whether the Fish Are Happy1:20:06 Chapter 10: The Usefulness of the Useless1:25:51 Chapter 11: The Cook and the Ox1:35:27 Chapter 12: The Pivot of the Way1:43:58 Chapter 13: Sitting in Forgetfulness1:50:22 Chapter 14: When the Way Became a Church1:59:43 Chapter 15: The Meeting of the Rivers2:05:44 Chapter 16: Water Finds Its LevelIf this helped you rest, follow Sleepy Philosophy Radio on Spotify, and become a member to unlock member only episodes and help keep the show going.Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Tracks used: Anguish, Blue Feather, Evening Fall (Harp), Gregorian Chant, Heartbreaking, Lightless Dawn, Lone Harvest, Magic Forest, Mesmerize, Mourning Song, Oppressive Gloom, Promising Relationship, Quinn's Song: A New Man, Relent, Smoother Move, Sunset at Glengorm, Trio for Piano Cello and Clarinet, Wounded